Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 20, NWS Pueblo, CO

May 21, 2012El Paso County, Teller County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this red flag warning at May 21, 2012, 1:20 PM MDT for El Paso County, Teller County, Colorado. It took effect at May 22, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for . No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 21, 2012, 1:20 PM MDT (19:20 UTC)
In effect from
May 22, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
May 22, 2012, 4:01 AM MDT
In force
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO

Counties El Paso County, CO, Teller County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:19 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 179 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2012-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2012-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2292 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

250 
WWUS85 KPUB 211920
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
120 PM MDT MON MAY 21 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY... 
HIGH HAINES INDICES AND DRY FUELS...HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TUESDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...
WHICH INCLUDES TELLER COUNTY...

COZ221-221130-
/O.UPG.KPUB.FW.A.0013.120522T1800Z-120523T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KPUB.FW.W.0020.120522T1800Z-120523T0300Z/
TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE-
120 PM MDT MON MAY 21 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT TUESDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND HIGH HAINES INDICES FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND HIGH HAINES
INDICES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT TUESDAY. THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 9 PERCENT.

* HAINES...6.

* IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE 
  DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN AREAS WITH DRY FUELS. ANY 
  NEW FIRE STARTS WILL LIKELY EXHIBIT EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR AND 
  RAPID WILDFIRE GROWTH. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

STARK
1 follow-up statement
590 
WWUS85 KPUB 221001
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
401 AM MDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING CANCELLED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

COZ221-221115-
/O.CAN.KPUB.FW.W.0020.120522T1800Z-120523T0300Z/
TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE-
401 AM MDT TUE MAY 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS CANCELLED THE RED FLAG
WARNING.

RECENT UPDATES TO THE FUELS STATUS INDICATE THAT FIRE WEATHER ZONE
221 IS NO LONGER CRITICAL. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF WINDS AND
HUMIDITIES WILL STILL REACH CRITICAL RANGES THIS AFTERNOON SO
CAUTION TO AVOID FIRE STARTS IS STILL ADVISED.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 8:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBPueblo31 min
May 21, 3:38 AM MDTFire Weather WatchPUBEl Paso, Teller10 hr
May 21, 4:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas34 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 2012Every red flag warning in 2012

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.